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First Whirlwind wheelchairs
reach riders in Haiti

June
16, 2010 -- Whirlwind
Wheelchair staff recently returned from Haiti where they helped distribute
their first shipment of wheelchairs to people injured in the Jan.
12 earthquake. Whirlwind's physical therapists also trained rural community
health workers to fit and adjust the wheelchairs to individuals'
needs.

RoughRider recipient Vladimer reading the manual for
his new wheelchair.

More than 200 of Whirlwind's RoughRider model--an innovative chair designed
for use in developing countries--have been distributed in Haiti so far: a
second shipment of 100 chairs, made in Whirlwind's Mexico factory, have just
arrived in the country.

"Patients with severe injuries from the earthquake are now being released
from hospitals and sent out into the community," said Marc Krizack,
executive director of Whirlwind Wheelchair. "But without durable wheelchairs
that don't get stuck in muddy ground, tip over on the rocky terrain or break
quickly from daily use on rough ground, these people will soon find themselves
confined to their homes, which are usually little more than shacks or tents."

Vladimer and Whirlwind Wheelchair
co-founder Ralf Hotchkiss use their RoughRiders to explore a trail
in Haiti.

In
rural Haiti, five hours from Port au Prince, a teenage boy named Vladimer
was among the first RoughRider recipients. He sustained a spinal cord injury
in the earthquake when his bedroom ceiling fell on his neck.

"Vladimer
had fun on the trails around his hospital, learning how to use his wheelchair
to navigate rocky, grassy and muddy surfaces," said Krizack. "With
his new RoughRider, he will be able to get himself to school each day."